Pears and Grapes - (Three Pears and Grapes) 1928

This is a still life, 'Pears and Grapes', by Yasuo Kuniyoshi, made with lithographic crayon. Look at the way Kuniyoshi coaxes out the textures and forms from simple shades of grey; it’s a study in contrasts and seeing how he builds up the image is like watching a magic trick unfold. There’s a real intimacy in the way the crayon is used to create depth, the way the grapes and pears have a velvety look. The marks are so delicate, almost like he’s caressing the paper, building up these subtle gradations of light and shadow. Those pears in the foreground seem to glow from within, the way he's worked the crayon there. You can imagine Kuniyoshi moving around the objects on the table to find the right point to work from. It’s like he's having a conversation with the fruit, trying to capture their essence rather than just their appearance. It reminds me of Morandi, how he could take humble objects and turn them into something monumental through sheer observation and a love for the process. I see art as ongoing exchange, the conversation between artists, and between us, the viewers, and this artwork.